Leftover Turkey Tikka Masala Pita Pizza
Look forward to turkey leftovers with this leftover turkey tikka masala pita pizza. A rich and spicy blend of flavors in tikka masala pizza sauce provide the foundation for this ultra satisfying pizza recipe.
Leftover turkey won’t ever be boring when you use it in this recipe. You’ll love this flavorful Indian inspired pizza.
Tikka masala curry sauce is the best to scoop up with bread – why not just top bread with it from the start!
It might even tempt you to cook another turkey sooner than planned. That’s what happened to us. And it’s a good thing since we have two amazing turkey recipes. 🙂
We made both Thanksgiving turkey with bacon as well as masala spiced turkey with homemade mushroom gravy, in the same fall season.
On top of the amazing turkey dinners, we enjoyed our turkey leftovers in this tikka masala pita pizza.
There are two options to make this.
The really quick version that uses prepared chicken tikka masala sauce that you have available (store bought or leftover).
Or the fifteen minutes longer (but still easy) method to prepare your own homemade tikka masala pizza sauce. We recommend taking the time to make the tikka masala sauce. It doesn’t take much time and is truly worth the effort!
Content in this Post
Ingredients in Leftover Turkey Tikka Masala Pita Pizza
- Pita Bread or Naan Bread — We choose Lebanese style pita breads most often, but who can resist naan bread? Naan is perfect for an Indian inspired pita pizza, but we didn’t have any this time.
- Leftover Turkey — Ideally from a masala spiced turkey, but you can use any turkey leftovers. You can substitute leftover or cooked chicken similarly.
- Red Onion — or white or yellow onion, sliced thin, to saute and use as a pizza topping.
- Bell Pepper — any colour, thinly sliced, to saute and use as a pizza topping.
- Tikka Masala Pizza Sauce — use store bought for convenience, leftover sauce or easily make your own using these ingredients:
- Tomato Sauce — can of diced or crushed tomatoes.
- Tomato Paste — tomato paste adds to the richness of the tomatoes in this dish and enhances the pizza sauce.
- Red Onion — diced red onion, or white or yellow onion.
- Garlic — use minced cloves, put through a garlic press.
- Ginger — use a one inch piece of ginger, minced.
- All Purpose Masala Seasoning — We use our blend that we always have ready. For two tablespoons of it, enough for this recipe you can measure the following:
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- half teaspoon Kashmiri chili pepper
- Cinnamon — ground cinnamon adds warmth.
- Cardamom — ground cardamom adds warmth.
- Parmesan Cheese — freshly grated, from a block of parmigiano reggiano. Alternatively, you can use your favorite shredded cheese.
- Cilantro — fresh, chopped, to garnish.
How To Make Leftover Turkey Tikka Masala Pita Pizza
It’s easy to make leftover turkey pita pizza. Chop the leftover turkey meat in smaller pieces.
Saute sliced onions and bell pepper slices in a bit of oil. After a few minutes, when tender, remove from heat and set aside to be used as toppings.
Make a tikka masala sauce or use store bought or leftover sauce from another batch. Simply fry some onions, garlic and ginger with spices, then add tomatoes and tomato paste.
Lastly, add in the labneh or Greek yogurt.
Make sure to mix well to thoroughly combine all ingredients. You will have an extremely flavorful pizza sauce.
Assemble your pita pizzas. Cover the pita pizzas with tikka masala pizza sauce, top with the leftover turkey meat, follow with the sauteed onions and bell pepper, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Bake in the oven for six minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil.
What to Serve With Leftover Turkey Tikka Masala
Turkey tikka masala pita pizzas are excellent with a side salad. It’s quick to prepare a refreshing kachumber style salad with diced cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and lemon juice.
We like to serve our pita pizzas with Swedish style cabbage pizza salad. It’s light and fresh with thinly sliced cabbage similar to coleslaw.
Storage Tips
Leftover turkey will keep in a refrigerator for about three days, and up to three months in the freezer. Prepared pita pizzas will keep in the fridge for three days, but are best consumed within a day or two.
The tikka masala pizza sauce for four days, but can be kept frozen for several months in an air tight freezer safe container. It’s a good idea to make a double batch and freeze some for another time.
You can use the reserved portion of tikka masala sauce for pizzas again, or try it in a curry with some basmati rice on the side.
Time Saving Tips
To save time, you can use prepared tikka masala sauce. You can use homemade that you’ve got leftover or in freezer storage, or use a good store bought brand.
If you’re making it from scratch, you might like to make up a batch of tikka masala spice blend that is basically a large batch of the spices in this recipe.
It’s multi purpose – use it in this turkey leftover recipe, and in tikka masala curries with basmati rice.
More Pita Pizza Recipes
Pita Pizzas offer quick, healthy, low cost and delicious meal options any time. They are easy to make and are customizable to satisfy everyone in the family.
We rely on them often when we are in a hurry. But they are so good that you’ll want them even when you’re not pressed for time. Give these a try:
- Margherita — with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, garlic and olive oil – a classic!
- Red Lobster Style Crab and Lobster — shellfish with julienned basil, tomatoes, garlic butter and cheeses.
- Mackerel — mackerel in tomato sauce
- Clam — with savory tomato, red onion and kale sauce
- Kebab or Gyro — marinated meat, lettuce, and kebab sauce
- Kebab Chicken — kebab chicken, lettuce and kebab sauce
- Sardine — sardines in tomato sauce
- Date and Arugula — bacon and goat cheese with dates and arugula
- Clam White Sauce — clam dip inspired, creamy goodness minus the mayo!
- Fresh Mozzarella and Artichoke — artichoke hearts with oregano, hot pepper flakes and olive oil
Best Leftover Turkey Recipes
Some excellent choices for turkey leftovers include:
- Kebab Chicken Pita Pizza — kebab chicken, lettuce and kebab sauce (just sub leftover turkey for the cooked chicken)
- Chicken Salad Sandwich Without Mayo (sub leftover turkey for cooked chicken)
- Turkey Mulligatawny Soup in Instant Pot
- Turkey Quesadillas
- Turkey and Wild Rice Soup in Instant Pot
These are all super flavorful options you won’t tire of.
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Leftover Turkey Tikka Masala Pita Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
SAUTE VEGETABLE TOPPINGS
- ½ Red Onion, thinly sliced
- ½ Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil
TIKKA SAUCE AND COOKED LEFTOVER TURKEY
- 14 ounces Canned Tomatoes, diced or crushed
- ¼ cup Tomato Paste
- 2 tablespoons Masala Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon Fenugreek Leaves, kasoori methi
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
- 3 tablespoons Labneh, or plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 inch Ginger, minced
- 2 Cloves Garlic, or more, per preference, minced
- 2 Cups Cooked Turkey, leftovers from masala spiced turkey are ideal, can use any leftover turkey
ASSEMBLE THE PITA PIZZAS
- 2 Pita Bread, Lebanese style
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese , grated
- ¼ Cup Cilantro , fresh, chopped
Instructions
SAUTE ONIONS AND BELL PEPPERS
- Heat oil in a frying pan on medium high heat on the stove top. Alternatively, you can use saute mode in an Instant Pot. When oil is hot, add sliced onions and bell peppers.
- Sauté until tender. Remove from heat and set aside. These will be pizza toppings over the turkey masala pizza sauce.
MAKE THE TIKKA MASALA PIZZA SAUCE
- Stir fry onions with garlic and ginger.
- Add all spices and stir for a minute.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Simmer for ten minutes or so until the tomatoes and spices have combined well.
- Stir in the labneh and saute for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside. Optionally, you can transfer to a food processor to puree the sauce. We enjoy ours with a little texture so we don't usually puree.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE PITA PIZZAS
- Preheat oven to 425 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place two pita breads on it.
- Divide evenly and spread the turkey tikka masala onto both pitas.
- Place the leftover turkey pieces, sautéed onions and bell peppers on top of both pizzas.
- Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese. Place in preheated oven and bake for 6 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Nutrition
Note
The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. If you are following a specific diet or have dietary restrictions, please use your preferred nutritional calculator. If you have a food allergy please ensure that none of the listed ingredients are part of your restrictions. As well, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature of the food items.
